Welcome today to the Weekend Sermon. After the bad weather of last week, it is good to be able to post the sermon. Last week, I posted a sermon from a few years back because I wanted to get to work before the bad weather set in. I hope that that sermon was a blessing to those who were able to read it.
This has been a busy week with Christmas activities. I was able to get together with some family members this week, and we had a good time. I talked to my uncle on the phone yesterday, and I am thankful to the Lord that he is doing well.
I would ask that you would pray for me this week, Some bad storms are predicted to be in my area on Christmas Day of all days. Please pray that these storms don't have the damaging winds that are being predicted. Also, please pray that I will feel better as I have been feeling down since around Thanksgiving time.
In other matters, let us pray for those who are still recovering from natural disasters. Haiti is still recovering from the hurricane, and other parts of the world are recovering from earthquake damage. Let us also pray for those injured in the terrorist attack in Germany. Pray that they might recover and that Germany will be safe from any further problems.
Let us pray for peace in the world. Pray for peace in Syria, Iraq and South Sudan. For our prayer focus countries, please pray that the message of Jesus' love will reach many in the nations of Guinea and Bahrain.
Christmas day is almost upon us. I have a lot of good memories of the Christmas season. Many of you have read the posts I've put here on the blog about the special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day memories I have of spending time with my Mom, Dad and my friend Toby. I do enjoy spending time with my remaining family, but I do miss my folks and Toby during these holiday times. I am thankful for the time that we had together. I hope that during this holiday season that you will take the time to say a prayer of thanks to the Lord for those special persons that God has brought into your life that you have the chance to spend the holiday season with.
Today, I want to focus on what I believe is one of the most wonderful passages of Scripture. Philippians 2:5-11 speaks to us of the First and Second Advents of Jesus. The passage tells us what the coming of Jesus was all about.
Philippians 2:7 tells us, "He gave up everything and became a servant, when He became like one of us." When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He took upon Himself humanity. He left the glories of Heaven and all of its splendor to come and be born into a peasant family. He came to be born in the most humble of circumstances.
When Jesus came to this earth, He left behind all the Heavenly hosts who sang praise to Him. He came and was born in a stable, because there was no room in the inn. He was adored and worshiped by shepherds who heard the angels announce the birth of the Messiah.
Jesus came into this world because He loved us. He wanted to save us from our sins and provide forgiveness to all those who would call upon His name in repentance and faith.
Jesus humbled Himself in His birth and in His life. He did not come to be served, but He came to serve others. He became obedient unto death on the cross. On the cross, Jesus bore all of our sins in His body. He provided for our redemption, because He was willing to come into this earth as the God-man. And it all started on Christmas Day.
Jesus didn't remain in the grave. He rose again on the third day, and now He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. At the right hand of the Father, Jesus is our advocate, and He makes intercession for us.
One day, at the Second Advent, Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. When Jesus comes again, He will not be coming as the humble infant in the manger in Bethlehem. He will be coming with power and great glory followed by the legions of angels and all those who have followed Him as Savior and Lord.
When Jesus comes again, He will be proclaimed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Every knee shall bow down to the Lord Jesus. What a glorious day that will be.
As you ponder the coming of the Lord Jesus during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, remember that Jesus came to this earth out of His great love for this world. Jesus' spirit of love should motivate those of us who are His followers to live lives of love. To me, this means that we seek to tell others about who Jesus is and what He has done. It means helping others and trying to make this world a better place. It means seeking the best and doing the best for our friends and family members.
Also during this Christmas season, think about the humble heart of Jesus. He left everything to come to this earth to redeem us and show us the true and living way. We should seek to emulate the humble heart of Jesus. He sought what was best for others no matter what the cost to Himself. He sought to serve others, and He calls us to have servant hearts to reach out to those around us in His name.
During this Christmas season, I hope that you will ponder the Second Advent as well. Are ready to meet the Lord Jesus should He return to this earth this very day? I hope that your answer is yes. If not, I hope that during this holiday season that you will ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord. If you are a Christian, yet you have found yourself drifting away from the things of the Lord, I pray that you will turn you heart back to the Lord Jesus during this Christmas time.
Next week, we will have a different schedule here on the blog. Since the library where I work on the computer to post the blog is going to be closed a few days, I will not be posting the verses or a review next week. The verses and reviews will return the following week. I already have two good dog books to review in 2017. There will be a sermon posted on Friday. I want to reflect on the old year and the upcoming year in the message. Following that, we will begin our series on the parables of Jesus which will take up much of 2017. May God bless you all, and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Amen.
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